Charles Paris is his own worst enemy, a louche lush who can resist anything except temptation - especially in the form of women and alcohol. He’s been out of work so long now he feels he may never get a job and he’s driving Frances, his semi-ex-wife, mad. So when he’s offered a small role in a play, she nearly pushes him out of the door. But it seems that ‘The Message is Murder’ is such a terrible production that someone wants to kill off the cast.

4 out of 5 stars

Great performance unnecessarily interrupted

By
Avril
on
17-10-15

Charles Paris: A Reconstructed Corpse

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Simon Brett,
Jeremy Front

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
Suzanne Burden,
full cast

Length: 1 hr and 52 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
133

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
109

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
108

Bill Nighy returns as Charles Paris: unsuccessful actor, bad husband, and dipsomaniac. Desperately in need of work, having been kicked out of his marital home, Charles jumps at playing a missing property developer in a crime-reconstruction program. But the missing person case soon turns to murder when severed body parts begin to appear.

5 out of 5 stars

A superb rendition!

By
S. M. A. John
on
14-08-17

Charles Paris: The Dead Side of the Mic

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Simon Brett,
Jeremy Front

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
Suzanne Burden,
Charlotte Green,
and others

Length: 1 hr and 52 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
167

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
121

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
118

Actor and reluctant sleuth Charles Paris is facing chaos on the domestic front. He’s lodging with his ex-wife Frances, and now their pregnant daughter has moved in as well. It’s all a bit much.... So he is over the moon when he lands a job on the BBC Radio Rep - but the ink is barely dry on his contract when a murder takes place in Broadcasting House. A young female studio manager is found dead in an editing suite, and Charles steps in to investigate....

Bill Nighy stars as Charles Paris with Martine McCutcheon as Jodie Ricks in this BBC Radio 4 comedy detective drama. Charles finds himself uncharacteristically employed in a film, having landed the part of Szabec, a middle management vampire in 'The Wreathing'. His co-star is swimwear model turned actress Jodie Ricks and before long, Jodie is using Charles as a confidant.

4 out of 5 stars

Charles Paris deserves better roles...

By
ThePuss
on
11-04-13

Charles Paris: Corporate Bodies

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Jeremy Front,
Simon Brett

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
Suzanne Burden,
full cast

Length: 1 hr and 49 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
119

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
110

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
108

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast adaptation of Simon Brett's comic murder mystery, starring Bill Nighy as the irrepressible Charles Paris. Charles Paris (unsuccessful actor, bad husband, dipsomaniac) is currently appearing as a fork lift operator in a corporate video. It's not prime-time television or a major film, but it seems like easy money - until the fork lift is used to commit a murder. When Charles himself comes under suspicion, he decides to find out for himself who the murderer is.

5 out of 5 stars

Another excellent Charles Paris mystery

By
Donothesaint
on
07-02-18

Charles Paris: Murder Unprompted

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Simon Brett,
Jeremy Front

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
full cast,
Suzanne Burden

Length: 1 hr and 51 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
146

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
128

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
128

Bill Nighy stars as Charles Paris in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Simon Brett's novel. Charles Paris is understudying in a West End production, whose star Michael Banks seems unable to master the script. Has Charles time to solve a murder, win Frances' heart and make it on stage by the time the curtain goes up?

4 out of 5 stars

Brilliant as expected

By
Terri
on
16-09-16

Charles Paris: Murder in the Title

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Simon Brett,
Jeremy Front

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
Suzanne Burden,
full cast

Length: 1 hr and 50 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
137

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
97

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
97

Charles Paris is his own worst enemy, a louche lush who can resist anything except temptation - especially in the form of women and alcohol. He’s been out of work so long now he feels he may never get a job and he’s driving Frances, his semi-ex-wife, mad. So when he’s offered a small role in a play, she nearly pushes him out of the door. But it seems that ‘The Message is Murder’ is such a terrible production that someone wants to kill off the cast.

4 out of 5 stars

Great performance unnecessarily interrupted

By
Avril
on
17-10-15

Charles Paris: A Reconstructed Corpse

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Simon Brett,
Jeremy Front

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
Suzanne Burden,
full cast

Length: 1 hr and 52 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
133

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
109

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
108

Bill Nighy returns as Charles Paris: unsuccessful actor, bad husband, and dipsomaniac. Desperately in need of work, having been kicked out of his marital home, Charles jumps at playing a missing property developer in a crime-reconstruction program. But the missing person case soon turns to murder when severed body parts begin to appear.

5 out of 5 stars

A superb rendition!

By
S. M. A. John
on
14-08-17

Charles Paris: The Dead Side of the Mic

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Simon Brett,
Jeremy Front

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
Suzanne Burden,
Charlotte Green,
and others

Length: 1 hr and 52 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
167

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
121

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
118

Actor and reluctant sleuth Charles Paris is facing chaos on the domestic front. He’s lodging with his ex-wife Frances, and now their pregnant daughter has moved in as well. It’s all a bit much.... So he is over the moon when he lands a job on the BBC Radio Rep - but the ink is barely dry on his contract when a murder takes place in Broadcasting House. A young female studio manager is found dead in an editing suite, and Charles steps in to investigate....

Bill Nighy stars as Charles Paris with Martine McCutcheon as Jodie Ricks in this BBC Radio 4 comedy detective drama. Charles finds himself uncharacteristically employed in a film, having landed the part of Szabec, a middle management vampire in 'The Wreathing'. His co-star is swimwear model turned actress Jodie Ricks and before long, Jodie is using Charles as a confidant.

4 out of 5 stars

Charles Paris deserves better roles...

By
ThePuss
on
11-04-13

Charles Paris: Corporate Bodies

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Jeremy Front,
Simon Brett

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
Suzanne Burden,
full cast

Length: 1 hr and 49 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
119

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
110

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
108

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast adaptation of Simon Brett's comic murder mystery, starring Bill Nighy as the irrepressible Charles Paris. Charles Paris (unsuccessful actor, bad husband, dipsomaniac) is currently appearing as a fork lift operator in a corporate video. It's not prime-time television or a major film, but it seems like easy money - until the fork lift is used to commit a murder. When Charles himself comes under suspicion, he decides to find out for himself who the murderer is.

5 out of 5 stars

Another excellent Charles Paris mystery

By
Donothesaint
on
07-02-18

Charles Paris: Murder Unprompted

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Simon Brett,
Jeremy Front

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
full cast,
Suzanne Burden

Length: 1 hr and 51 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
146

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
128

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
128

Bill Nighy stars as Charles Paris in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Simon Brett's novel. Charles Paris is understudying in a West End production, whose star Michael Banks seems unable to master the script. Has Charles time to solve a murder, win Frances' heart and make it on stage by the time the curtain goes up?

4 out of 5 stars

Brilliant as expected

By
Terri
on
16-09-16

Charles Paris: An Amateur Corpse

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Simon Brett,
Jeremy Front

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
Suzanne Burden,
Geraldine McEwan,
and others

Length: 1 hr and 52 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
125

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
104

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
103

Bill Nighy stars as Charles Paris in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast adaptation of Simon Brett's comic crime novel
An Amateur Corpse. Charles is out of work again, and to make matters worse his mother has come to stay and he's no way of escaping her. So when he's offered some voiceover work by old friend, Hugo, he's delighted to get out of the house. But Hugo's marriage is in trouble: his much younger wife, Ellie, spends all her time at her Amateur Dramatic Group, and Hugo is drinking too much.

4 out of 5 stars

WONDERFUL, WITH A FEW RESERVATIONS!

By
Cheshire Shopper
on
11-01-13

Charles Paris: A Decent Interval

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Simon Brett,
Jeremy Front

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
Suzanne Burden,
full cast

Length: 1 hr and 52 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
103

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
91

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
88

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Simon Brett's entertaining crime novel, starring Bill Nighy. Charles Paris has been resting for quite a while, so he's relieved when he is cast as Ghost of Hamlet's Father and First Gravedigger in a touring production of Hamlet. But rehearsals are a little tense - the lead roles of Hamlet and Ophelia are played by a reality TV contestant and TV talent show winner respectively, and their opinions on celebrity and the theatre differ somewhat from those of the more experienced members of the cast.

4 out of 5 stars

Updated (thank God)

By
Mary Carnegie
on
28-08-16

Charles Paris: Dead Room Farce

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Simon Brett,
Jeremy Front

Narrated by:
Bill Nighy,
full cast,
Suzanne Burden

Length: 1 hr and 51 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
42

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
36

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
38

A three-month run of a new farce is not to be sniffed at by a jobbing actor. Especially when there's the distinct possibility of a West End run. Which is why Charles Paris is standing on stage. However, by the time the troupe reaches Bath a darker mood has set in and Charles' old friend Mark has a drink problem that amounts to a death wish. But it's not the drink that kills Mark - it's somebody in the cast who has a secret that Mark must not be allowed to reveal....

5 out of 5 stars

Just love Bill Nighy

By
StevieBee
on
27-05-18

Charles Paris: The Cinderella Killer

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

By:
Simon Brett,
Jeremy Front

Narrated by:
Suzanne Burden,
Bill Nighy,
full cast

Length: 1 hr and 52 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
108

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
98

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
98

A job in pantomime seems the perfect way to spend the Christmas season for Charles, but the cast of Cinderella are a motley crew from reality TV and Charles finds himself having to explain the traditions of panto to their baffled American star whose career is on a downward trajectory. When the star is shot dead, and Charles finds the body, he finds himself under suspicion.

5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

By
carol
on
10-08-17

The Inspector Chen Mysteries

Nine BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatisations

By:
Qiu Xiaolong

Narrated by:
Chris Lew Kum Hoi,
Dan Li,
Daniel York,
and others

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Original Recording

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
12

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
12

Story

5 out of 5 stars
12

Nine BBC Radio full-cast dramatisations of the crime novels of Qiu Xiaolong, set in Shanghai. Starring Jamie Zubairi as Chief Inspector Chen Cao, an astute young policeman with twin passions for food and poetry. Through thrilling crime drama, these nine mysteries paint a portrait of modern life in communist China, depicting traditional Shanghai life amidst the old alleyways and how it is rapidly changing with modernisation.

Baldi: Series 1

By:
Barry Devlin,
Simon Brett,
Annie Caullfield

Narrated by:
David Threfall

Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
95

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
74

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
76

On sabbatical from the Franciscan order, Father Paolo Baldi is working as a philosophy lecturer in Dublin when his life takes an unexpected turn and he finds himself helping the police to solve crimes. In this first series, Father Paolo Baldi and his accomplice Tina investigate a string of mysterious crimes, including a murder at an Italian chip shop, the killing of a leading academic and a girl who falls victim to a devil-worshipping cult.

3 out of 5 stars

Easy listening

By
Mitch
on
02-12-13

George Cragge: In the Red & Other Mysteries

By:
Mark Tavener

Narrated by:
Barry Foster,
full cast,
Hugh Laurie,
and others

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
48

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
45

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
45

A collection of four blackly humorous crime mysteries featuring the fictional BBC Radio crime correspondent, George Cragge. Adapted from the novel by Mark Tavener, In the Red sees the anarchic George Cragge investigate a spree of bizarre murders in the world of City finance, a small political party contesting a by-election, and a plan to overthrow the Director-General of the BBC. The sequel, In the Balance,features George Cragge kicking off a murder trail during the FIFA World Cup at Wembley Stadium. And with Europe becoming a hot potato, can the Prime Minister hold on to his job? In the Chair follows the maverick hack as he looks into a series of murders of dentists linked to New Labour policy. The final drama, In the End, sees George Cragge investigating a series of murders of journalists.

5 out of 5 stars

Prequel to BBC Radio 4's ‘Absolute Power’

By
Nigel
on
17-03-18

Baldi: Series 2

By:
Simon Brett,
Mark Holloway,
Martin Meenan

Narrated by:
David Threlfall

Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
81

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
60

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
60

On sabbatical from the Franciscan order, Father Paolo Baldi is working as a philosophy lecturer in Dublin when his life takes an unexpected turn and he finds himself helping the police to solve crimes. In his second series, Father Baldi investigates a string of curious murders. Along with Tina, Paolo follows a killing in a castle at a celebrity wedding, a high-profile case of a police officer’s murder and enters the world of romantic poetry to solve a suspected suicide.

5 out of 5 stars

David Threfall's voice IS easy listening

By
Victoria Davison
on
12-09-15

So Much Blood

By:
Simon Brett

Narrated by:
Simon Brett

Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
38

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
32

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
31

Charles Paris returns again, in a fringe show at the Edinburgh Festival, with another nubile girl to provoke him, his accommodating wife to console him and a gory murder to challenge him. Edinburgh and the Festival are both background and foreground with Charles flitting between a production of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a ‘mixed-media’ satire, a late-night revue and his own one-man show on Thomas Hood. Then a fading pop star is murdered, there’s a bomb scare in Holyrood Palace and someone makes a suicide leap from the top of the Rock….

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young, feisty, devastatingly acute Horace Rumpole in this collection of cracking cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole.

3 out of 5 stars

An Unnecessary Sexing Up of the Originals

By
Terry McAuliffe
on
05-07-18

BBC Radio Crimes: The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries: A Man Lay Dead & A Surfeit of Lampreys

By:
Ngaio Marsh

Narrated by:
Jeremy Clyde

Length: 1 hr and 53 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
59

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
32

Story

4 out of 5 stars
35

A game of ‘murders’ at Sir Hubert Handesley’s country house party becomes far too realistic for anyone’s liking. First a guest arrives with a dangerously lethal dagger and then, when the gong sounds to announce the start of the game, the victim plays dead in a very convincing manner. Chief Detective Inspector Alleyn believes the unusual dagger is a vital clue to the real-life murder, and soon he’s on the trail of a Russian secret society.

5 out of 5 stars

Always enjoy a radio play

By
Richard T.
on
27-03-15

Lord Peter Wimsey: BBC Radio Drama Collection Volume 3

By:
Dorothy L Sayers

Narrated by:
Full Cast,
Ian Carmichael

Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins

Unabridged

Overall

0 out of 5 stars
0

Performance

0 out of 5 stars
0

Story

0 out of 5 stars
0

Ian Carmichael stars as Lord Peter Wimsey in these definitive BBC radio dramatisations of Dorothy L Sayers' classic crime novels. Aristocratic amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey was the master creation of Dorothy L Sayers, widely acknowledged as one of the four original ‘Queens of Crime’. These full-cast adaptations – first broadcast on BBC radio in the 1970s, and presented here in their entirety – are admired by fans of the genre worldwide. The stories featured are Murder Must Advertise, The Nine Tailors, Gaudy Night, and Busman's Honeymoon.

Summary

Charles Paris is thrilled - he’s landed a nice juicy part playing Sergeant Collins in the TV detective series, ‘The Stanislaus Braid Mysteries’, and his estranged wife Frances seems to be on the brink of taking him back.

But filming turns out to be a tortuous process, with pompous star Russell Bentley demanding numerous retakes and irascible author Winifred Railton constantly interrupting. To cap it all, nubile actress Lisa Stokes is crushed to death on set - and Charles finds her body. It seems like a straightforward accident, but Charles can’t shake the suspicion that she was murdered.

Can he find the killer, stay away from the booze and the women, and win back his wife?

Story

'A Series of Murders'

When I first saw that this audiobook was only 57mins long for ?8.89, compared to the other Charles Paris audiotape which is 6hs.28mins for the same price, I thought there must have been a misprint somewhere. But being a long-time fan of both Charles Paris and Bill Nighy, I went ahead and treated myself regardless.

Was this originally a full-length book? While the 'play' was enjoyable, it felt very 'compressed', to the extent that the characters came across as two-dimensionable cardboard cut-outs. This seems to be the fault of the BBC rather than the scriptwriter, who did his/her best with the time available. Surely extending it just another half hour would have made all the difference. I don't know where the 'series' of murders came from; there were only two. However, all the cast made the best of their lines; Bill Nighy has the perfect voice for Charles Paris. But I had to listen to it twice to catch the fast bits I missed the first time. It really deserves 5 stars, unfortunately
a big thumbs down and a lost star for the BBC for skimping on the time allowed, and another lost star for the decision to price a 57mins tape at ?8.89, whoever made it. ?4 - ?5 would be a fairer price, I think.

Nevertheless, an enjoyable listen. But most definitely a 'very special treat'!

a wonderful play, gripping and entertaining

Nighy makes Paris's slightly seedy, but self aware and almost-past-it cad utterly convincing with a tired, sardonic wit that carries the classically styled 'who-dunnit' plot to perfection. With every double whisky and plot twist I smiled or laughed. More please.

Fabulous fun.

Would you consider the audio edition of Radio Crimes to be better than the print version?

Both are good. The BBC dramatisation though brings the story forward to today, and with wonderful down to earth dialogue - you're in the heart of the crime, the play, the tangled personal relationships and their history before you know it.

Which character – as performed by Bill Nighy and Suzanne Burden – was your favourite?

What long car journeys were made for

I've listened to 2-3 of this series and thay are all excellent. The stories have excellent pace and the cast, very ably captained by the always-reliable Mr Bill Nighy, keep you engaged throughout. I also like the way that the overall production, whether by accident or design, reminds me of the very best radio plays you can hear on Radio 4, or even better, sitting in a tent listening to the radio as a boy in my parents back garden.